


parting words

by silver_wings



Category: The Fall (TV)
Genre: spoilers for 2x06
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-03 01:35:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2833334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_wings/pseuds/silver_wings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stella was captivating until the end. [Dani's POV]</p>
            </blockquote>





	parting words

To say she was tired was an understatement; exhausted or defeated may be more apt. Danielle Ferrington was by no means afraid of or a stranger to hard work, but this case had been beyond anything she had ever been a part of. For one she was usually only a passing ship, carrying out minor tasks when a uniformed officer was necessary, but the Spector case was a whole other thing. Even though she stepped back from the heart of the investigation halfway through, she didn’t stand idly by and watch it all unfold. When Detective Superintendent Gibson needed her she was ready for action and jumped at any chance to play any part in closing the case.

She couldn’t decide whether her intense interest in the case was to alleviate her feelings of guilt; or if she recognised that working with someone like Gibson was a once in a lifetime opportunity that she would be stupid to pass up. Whatever the reason she was determined to see the case through to the end, doing whatever necessary to achieve a just outcome. 

Unfortunately for them the case had not ended as they had hoped. Once they finally had Spector in custody a sense of excitement and pride quietly hummed through the station. Their achievement was a long time coming and knowing they had him off the streets was a comfort to all. Of course then came the time to question Spector and find out what had happened to Rose Stagg. Her wellbeing was in the back of everyone’s mind; all hoping they wouldn’t have to add to the already extensive body count. 

Dani was intrigued by Gibson’s actions throughout the investigation. Every move was meticulous and precise, with all the pieces coming together in the end to achieve the ultimate goal. Watching Gibson work had been a fascinating study. Dani paid close attention to the way Gibson approached situations and problems; inspired to apply what she observed to achieve her own goals. 

One of the most interesting days so far was when Gibson allowed Spector to lead them to Rose. It was an extremely tense and stressful journey for all involved, but for the most part went without a hitch thanks to Gibson’s impeccable attention to detail. 

This was where everything went unimaginably wrong. Shots were fired so rapidly no one could stop them. It didn’t matter how many officers were there, not one of them had the ability to stop the sequence of events. All the work, all the heartache came down to this one unpredictable moment. Watching Spector bleed out in Gibson’s arms was a very surreal moment for them all. Dani watched with mixed feelings of relief and disappointment. To come this far to have him die felt like a huge injustice. 

An ambulance arrived fairly quickly and even though they got him to surgery he lost too much blood. In an instant he was gone. Free from his responsibilities, exempted from truly facing the consequences of his crimes. 

Even a week later there was still mixed feelings about the turn of events. Half were ecstatic that he couldn’t hurt anyone, the other half angry that he had gotten off so leniently. Dani had resumed normal duties the day after the shooting, today would be the first time seeing Gibson since that fateful day. The last week had been spent finalising paperwork so there were no doubts that their killer was gone and there wouldn’t be any surprises. Dani had finished her portion of the paperwork and was on her way to Gibson’s office for the last time.

While the two hadn’t had a massive amount of contact Dani still felt like her departure would be a loss. The dreaded ‘boys club’ would take charge again and Dani would have to work her way back into the inner sanctum. Her attitude to her work had changed with Gibson’s presence, she’d like to think her work had improved and her thought processes had been enhanced. Arriving at Gibson’s office she found the detective and Professor Smith in conversation. Knocking on the open door Gibson looked up, her lips upturning slightly and nodding at Dani to enter. 

“Sorry to interrupt ma’am, I have my paperwork filled out and signed for you,” Dani entered the room feeling like she was intruding. Glancing at Professor Smith she noticed how relaxed the woman was in Gibson’s presence. In Dani’s experience very few people felt completely at ease with the unapologetic woman and this too intrigued her.

“Thank you, Dani. Your work in this case was excellent, I very much hope this will not be the last this department will see of you,” Gibson smiled at the younger woman then in a way Dani hadn’t witnessed before, it made her feel important.

“Thank you for allowing me to be involved.” She wouldn’t say she felt nervous, but Gibson’s charisma was very hard to process. Feeling like staying any longer would be intruding the younger woman turned to exit the room, but was stopped by the older woman’s soft voice.

“Are you finished work for the day?” Looking back at Gibson, Dani was once again amazed by how inviting and alluring the woman could be.

“Uh, yes I have.” 

“Would you like to join me for a drink? To celebrate? Reed, you are welcome as well,” taken aback by the invitation it took almost a moment too long for Dani to answer, but seeing the professor’s nod she was quick accept the offer. Dani was glad it wouldn’t be her alone with Gibson, her intensity could still be slightly unnerving. 

“Yes, ma’am, I would like that.”

“There’s no need to call me ma’am anymore, Stella will do. Also see if McNally or Hagstrom are still around, they are welcome too.” Gibson wrote down an address on a scrap of paper and handed it to Dani, ending the conversation.

As she left the room Dani was not completely sure of what had happened. The invitation was sudden and unexpected, but for some reason felt excited about seeing Stella one last time. 

xx

The address Stella had written down was for a slightly upscale bar about ten minutes from the station. Dani hadn’t been there before herself, but friends had told her it was best to dress to impress. Also Dani knew Stella would look impeccable as always and she didn’t want to stick out. She had searched for an hour before finding a simple black dress that she hadn’t worn in years, which reminded her of how little time she spent away from work.

When she spoke to McNally and Hagstrom they had both been as surprised as she was at the invitation, and similarly jumped at the chance to observe this mystifying woman outside of work. They decided to arrive together, all three of them slightly apprehensive about the night to come. When they did arrive Stella and Reed were already there, conversation flowing naturally. 

Stella looked up and saw the three women enter the bar and immediately flagged down a waiter to take their order. Dani stuck to a beer, not wanting to become too inebriated, while McNally and Hagstrom followed Stella’s lead and ordered something stronger. Dani was quick to notice the ease between Stella and Reed and was curious to know how one became so comfortable around the usually reserved detective. As their drinks arrived all eyes were on Stella as she held up her glass. 

“I’m leaving soon and I want to take the opportunity to thank you. You each excelled in this investigation and made the work that much easier. It would be a privilege to work with each of you again,” the five women clinked their glasses together; the three younger women surprised and touched by the women’s candid words. 

The rest of the night progressed with minimal silence, with Stella asking questions of all the women about their careers and aspirations. Both Dani and Hagstrom indicated the desire to one day make detective and credited that largely to the way Stella had handled the case. With McNally expressing the desire to one day lead her own team and continue working up the ranks. As each women spoke Stella gave them her undivided attention, which was slightly disconcerting, but made a change from most of the male superiors they usually had to deal with. During the exchanges Reed remained silent, watching in intrigue as Stella interacted with the women. 

The group had been in the bar for nearly three hours when Hagstrom announced she had to leave, with an early shift the next day. Following suit everyone else began to prepare to leave. Before they could protest Stella put multiple notes on the table to cover their drinks, knowing none of the women would dare argue with her. Before leaving the bar Stella made a point of handing the three women a card with her contact details, telling them if they ever needed anything she was more than willing to assist in any way she could. This gesture added yet another layer to Stella’s intriguing personality. 

McNally and Hagstrom left together, deciding sharing a taxi would be easier since they lived close to each other. Luckily Dani only lived five minutes away and would take a taxi by herself, after politely declining Stella’s offer to see her home. 

Dani left the bar before Stella or Reed, waiting around the corner for a taxi to turn up. While she was waiting she saw the detective and the professor leave the bar and begin to walk in the other direction. They were still in eyeshot when Dani noticed Stella’s hand find a place on Reed’s back, a gesture that was not lost on the young officer. Smiling at the image she was once again captivated by the enigma that was Stella Gibson. She only hoped one day their paths would cross again.


End file.
